Remembering my Beautiful Mother on mothers dayTo honor my beautiful Mother on Mothers Day. She is in heaven and can no longer hold my sister and I in body, but always will in heart and soul. This is a photograph of my Mother, Marie Walker Rawls holding my sister and best friend Sandra Parker in 1944. With loving memories, Elizabeth Ann
Mother had a lovely voice and enjoyed singing to me. The one I remember the most is "In the Garden". It is a trait I did not inherit from her, she would sing a few words and say OK, now try it again...off I would go at the top of my lungs for about one second till her laughter then mine stopped our song again, and again. After we laughed, she would start again, and we would repeat that over and over, till she would finally give up and just give me a big hug. I remember it like it was yesterday, and as she was laughing she would say "No, not like that, now listen Elizabeth Ann" , and she would start over, till I joined in and the laughter started all over again.
2214 Oak Sand, Katy Texas 77450
Located close to everything, just off I-10 @ Mason Road, close to top rated Katy Schools, shopping, malls, and great restaurants. This home has been tastefully decorated, and well maintained. Only $189,900.
Photos of Texas bluebonnets, wildflowers & nature set to music of Willie Nelson
Texas Wildflowers Renew the Soul City on a hill, Untouched land beyond. A Fallow field is The secret of fertility. In the city, we see millions of lives represented in the windows In the countryside, they find the nurturing quality of freedom. They can see new possibilities and can wander without societal impositions. In the past, pioneers saw the open prairies and were filled with dreams of dominating nature with the glories of man. Now we know different: We must preserve the wilds for our very survival. We need time to lie fallow. If you cannot leave the city just find a little quiet time each day to withdraw into yourself. If you are able to walk in fields or in the hills, so much the better. But none of us can maintain the fertility of our beings without renewal.
I've had the "Renewal" by Tao on my refrigerator at home, my office and my lake house for the last three years, and thought it was fitting to accompany my pictures of the magnificence of one of God's most lovely gifts to us...Texas Wildflowers. Marchel and I came up with this contest when we first took over the Texas Real Estate group back in February 2008, and I've wanted to share it with all of you for a long time. I hope you enjoy the little show I've put together for you. My sister, Sandra Parker and I love flowers and nature, a trait we got from our Mother. We go look at the bluebonnets and wildflowers every year. The pictures were taken on our annual pilgrimage to Round Top, Texas from our homes in Katy, Texas. Our route was planned to also take advantage of phenomenal display of antiques along the way to Round Top, Texas. This is a feature unto itself, every spring you can follow the bluebonnet trail to Texas' Antiques Week. From
When you need to buy or sell a home in the greater Houston, Katy, or Sugar Land Texas areas, call the Top Realtor with a proven track record and 32+ years of experience. Liz Carter & Team Realty, 281-391-SOLD-7653, http://www.lizcarter.com/, "Your Real Estate Resource For Life".
Cinco Ranch area photos, come let me show you why I love living in Cinco RanchI sell homes in Cinco Ranch...I live in Cinco Ranch...and I love Cinco Ranch because it's like Taking A Vacation Without Leaving Home Pictured here is the Water Park in Cinco Ranch which has three swimming pools, including a diving well and baby pool, spray park with a frog slide for the little ones. Two water slides, two water chutes, tennis course, a covered picnic area with BBQ grills, a wooded setting area, and a playground. It is one of the newest features to be built. Cinco Ranch is one of the Top 20 residential developments in the United States. Located in Katy, Texas just 28 miles west of the most friendly large city in the world, Houston, Texas. We are actually like a small town unto itself, being a part of Harris and Fort Bend Counties Uninc. I have lived in the area since 1976 and watched as they stated developing this wonderful community in 1990 and bought my home here in 1992 for many reasons.
The Golf Course at Cinco Ranch, our mild climate allow you to play golf year round in Katy, Texas. 167 scenic acres. The course is as challenging as it is beautiful. The gorgeous clubhouse overlooks the 18th green, has a well stocked pro shop, a grill and banquet rooms. The club is host to many wedding receptions (my niece had her wedding reception there) banquets, parties, and the Cinco Ranch Ladies Club meets there monthly.
Two rows above from left is the multi million dollar beach club, with a real sand beach, volley ball sand court, swim lagoon, covered pavilion, park and picnic areas. It also features FREE sail and paddle boats for residents of Cinco Ranch. The beach club is surrounded by a 14 acre stocked lake, with miles of walking trails, lots of flowers, trees, and wildlife galore. There is so much to see other than the beautiful homes, that I will spend a couple of hours showing buyers, and folks relocating to the Katy, TX area all the amenities of Cinco Ranch before we ever look at a home to buy. When you buy a home in Cinco Ranch you are buying a lifestyle too. Currently we have around 8,600 occupied homes, and still building. This unique master-planned community encompasses 5,400 acres with 70 acres of woodland and wetland habitat. Plus all the land that is set aside for the 7 pools, 10 tennis courses, Golf Course, lakes, beach club, exercice trail, water park, gazebo area, basketball & volleyball courts, nature trails with foot bridges and lookout platforms, and dozens of pocket parks that are dotted throughout Cinco Ranch. So there is just not enough room here to show everything, just a sampling of what Cinco has to offer buyers looking for a home in West Houston, Katy Texas. You can take a vacation without leaving home here!
The lake in South Lake section of Cinco is 14 acres and is 1 1/4 miles around, so it's a nice walk and has tons of wild life. Blue Heron & Snowy White Egrets come in, and of course we have our resident ducks, squirrels, and tons of song birds, Barn Swallows, and Gulls. There are also turtles sunning themselves on the banks of the lake. The weather most of the year is great for being outdoors, especially in the fall, winter, and spring months. July and August gets hot, but do your walking in the morning or early evenings at that time of the year. I've worn shorts in December, so that makes up for our hotter months, and the humidity is good for your complexion.
Pictured here are Homes in Cinco Ranch South Lake section, which was one of the first to be built, and is considered the "heart of Cinco". It is on the 14 acre stocked lake, right by the Beach Club, and across from the Golf Course. The price range is between $250,000-$600,000+. Some of the homes back to the lake, however unlike most other communities that have lakes Cinco homes do not extend all the way to the water. There is a walkway that goes around the lakes so that all of the residents can use the lakes for fishing, walking, visiting, resting on the benches with a good book and enjoy people watching. Home owners that back to the lake have wide open views, easy access to the lake, and park like greenbelts that are maintained by the home owners assoc. So it makes for a perfect balance. The lot premiums for lake front range between $50,000-$75,000.
Both these homes back to the 14 acre lake in Cinco, note the large green belt area behind both homes, and side walk that goes entirely around this lake as they do in all the lake sections of Cinco Ranch.
The Golf Course in Cinco Ranch has a beautiful room for weddings, a grill for lunch and drinks. The course is beautiful and changeling.
Splash pool at water park, pocket parks, one of the many viewing platforms for a section of the many miles of nature trails, real sand volleyball court at far right.
Cinco Ranch High School is state of the art, mascot is the Cougar. KISD is top ranked by the State of TX, and the reason a lot of families choose Cinco Ranch, and Katy TX. There is a underwater bubble area to view swimmers, for the competitive swim teams. View above of the Beach Club, at the point were is meets the lake, there is a real sand beach, and showers for after the kids get through playing. So you can wash them off before putting them in the car.
Cinco Ranch has a very active ladies club. It was started in 1992, they meet monthly, and also host socials throughout the year. Renditions of the newly opened outdoor mall, La Centerra...it's delightful!  Cinco Ranch also has a 55+ community, with outstanding amenities of its own. If you like to travel and want a hassle free life style it's perfect. They include yard service, it is gated and very secure too.
Map to get to Cinco Ranch, and Liz Carter & Team Realty. Both are located 28 miles from downtown Houston west on I-10. Liz Carter & Team Realty's office is at the corner of I-10 @ Mason Road, Katy, Texas 77450. Cinco is between Mason Rd. and extends west of Grand Parkway north and south of Cinco Ranch Blvd. I hope you have enjoyed these photos of Cinco Ranch. I would love to personally show you why I love living in Cinco and all the great amenities it has to offer. No other Realtor knows Cinco Ranch or the other Katy, Texas neighborhoods like I do. I have lived and sold Real Estate in Katy TX since 1976, it is my passion and thank God I still love what I do. I am also blessed to have many of my family working with me on my team. In fact we have three generations and are now selling homes to second generations of clients, who come back to us time and time again. Our motto is, "Your Real Estate Resource For Life", and we would like to be yours too. Call 281-391-SOLD (7653) or visit my web site at www.lizcarter.com
Area Photos of Katy Texas, know as "The City of Churches", located 28 miles west of HoustonKaty Texas is know as "The City of Churches" Katy Texas has is a great place to live, work and play for so many reasons. You get a small town atmosphere
Nelson's Water Gardens in Katy Texas, a place you need to plan on spending the day, acres of complete water gardens on display. They sell everything to make your own, plus everything you need to go in it and around it + much more, like out door art. Of course you can get you Koi and Gold fish here too, and lady bugs.
Streets in Katy "Proper" are lined with flowers, trees, due to our warm year-round climate, it seldom gets cold in
Since Texas is so large here is a map of the state of Texas to show you how close to the Gulf of Mexico we are.
Shop till you drop at Katy Mills Mall in Katy Texas. It has "Neighborhoods", that announce when you go in the doors which neighborhood you are in so you don't get lost. There is a stadium seating movie theater, a dance hall, and of course a Bass Pro Shop to die for Not to mention all the other outside the mall attractions, hotels, restaurants, and the area just keeps growing. If this is not enough, Houston is a short drive.
Katy, and the greater Houston area still have one of the lowest housing cost in the US at $200,000 average cost of a home. That is a very nice home in Katy. Typical construction is brick, and we have many master planned communities like the one on the right hand side and homes on acreage like the one I have for sale on the left hand side. Homes on acreage were you can bring you horses, and other like were the Liz Carter & Team are standing that have deed restrictions. I love living in Kat Texas and would like to share with you why so please call me at 281-391-7653 or visit my web site at www.lizcarter.com, and allow me to assist you with all the information you need if you are moving from around the world, or just live in he area and need a bigger or smaller home. I have lived here in Texas my whole life and been in Katy Texas since 1976. I truly am your area expert for the greater Houston, Katy, Sugar Land and surrounding areas. I offer FREE relocation packages and information, and would be happy to consult with you over the phone also. Let me leave you with one last picture on why I love Katy Texas, and I hope you enjoyed this brief photo tour. Liz Carter, owner/broker of Liz Carter & Team Realty, "Your Real Estate Resource For Life". For more photos of Katy, TX visit, Area Photos of Katy Texas, a town with a heart, by Liz Carter local Realtor since 1976 I'll leave you with a recent picture of Texas Wildflowers, all of our highways are planted in wildflowers, so diving in Texas in March-May is a real treat.
Blue Bonnets are the state flower of Texas
Area Photos of Katy Texas, a town with a heart! Welcome to my home, Katy, Texas! What used to be a small rice growing community 28 miles west of the big city of Houston, Texas this town has boomed since I mored here in 1976! One of it's slogans is "A Town With A Heart. Katy has an interesting history that goes back to 1872, when families were draw to the area for it's rich farming land, and the fact that the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad was completed. This made it easy for people;e to get to the area, and also to get farm products to market. The land in Katy is rich and flat, making it prime farm land, and later prime rice fields. The prairie was thick with tall, flowing grasses and so tall a man on horseback could not be seen. Historical Katy Texas, a look back in time, by Liz Carter local Realtor since 1976, to read more please refer to this post that gives lots of details about it rich history, and enjoy the photographs here. Photos all property of Liz Carter.
Old rice dryers still stand, Blue Bonnets are state flower
Katy Schools are top-rated in the state & football is big!The Katy Tigers have won 5 state championships!
One of the main reasons people choose to live in Katy is for the academically acclaimed KISD top rated schools Railroad Par
T
Well worth a visit to see all the old an old originaltelegraph machine, and a nice park to relax, it is located right on the original rail road tracks were people and rich made their way to the big cities of Texas. This is another shoot of the old rice dryers which right on the tracks to make loading and unloading easy. The tracks run exactly parallel to I-10 straight into Houston, 28 miles away, which I'm sure back then seemed a long way. Now we think nothing of driving in for dinner, plays, sports, etc.
Beofe the Inernet...things were a little slower :)
Town clock which was dedicated to the memory of "Dude" Callender, and old name in Katy Texas, and was designed by Rhett Butler, if you can believe that. I thought only the guy in Gone with the Wind, and my dog was named Rhett Butler :)., So here's a picture of my Rhett Butler, he is a resident of Katy, TX (pictured below)!
Picture of couple taking pictures in field of wild flowers on I-10 just west of Katy.
My Rhett Butler
Call Liz Carter, owner/broker of Liz Carter & Team Realty, serving and living in the Katy Texas area since 1976. Now helping second generations of clients. Come let me show you why I love living, working and playing in Katy, Texas
Sunset on I-10 just west of Katy, Texas, our sunsets last what seems like forever. Truly Magnificent! Come visit Katy Texas, it's a great place to Live, Work & Play! Also visit, Area Photos of Katy Texas, know as "The City of Churches", located 28 miles west of Houston Low housing cost, great schools, friendly people, and a year round warm climate too. Call me 281-391-7653 for a free relocation package and information about local Real Estate, or visit my web site http://www.licarter.com/ You will see why we say, You'll Love Kay, A Town with a Heart!
Good Golly Miss Molly…is getting married in the rain…Active Rain that is   Announcing the upcoming wedding of Mr.Tex Rain and Miss Molly Blogger
Miss Molly Blogger, the blushing bride to be The wedding planners are pleased to share the upcoming marriage of Mr. Tex Rain to Miss Molly Blogger. Rumors have been rampant so it is with much joy we are finally able to make it official. All of the plans came It has been a storybook romance on the range from the start, so none of us were to surprised when Tex mooed the question to Miss Molly while kneeling on his right hoof and leg. He presented her with an engagement ring Miss Molly selected a wedding planning party which includes from left to right, Carl Winters, Debra A. Brooks, Judi Morgan, Liz Carter, Ceil Winters (now known as BWP), Marchel Peterson , Ricki Eichler, and not pictured, The spot will be perfect; it has a large pasture with a lake and lots of shade trees. Of course it will be an outdoor wedding to take full advantage of the breathtaking beauty of the Hill Country. The Tumbleweed Hotel is on site for guest staying overnight, the Stagecoach Saloon is right beside the hotel, and of course the large reception hall were we had our BBQ is there. There is parking for RV's, and lots of pastures for all their Longhorn friends to gather. We will be meeting here on this post every Saturday night to finish out all the details, and everyone is invited to Also everyone is welcome to come by and give Mr. Tex Rain & Miss Molly their ideals. Everyone and all their friends are talking about nothing else. Did you see the expression on Miss Mollys face...priceless?
BEFORE YOU START READING THE COMMENTS OR MAKE ONE, TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS, AND GET READY TO ROCK & ROLL...this song viedo will put a BIG smile on your face...enjoy, Liz Active Rain Gathering in the scenic Hill Country of Texas + one Mystery Guest
Ricki Eichler and Ms. Judi Morgan brought the Texas Active Rain group together + one special surprise blogger What really made the day so special however was getting to talk to each other in person instead of on the computer. Putting voices to faces, and also meeting the spouses of our fellow bloggers who put up with all the time we spend on the computer with our "other life". They were all good sports, and we must have had 100 cameras going off all during the day. I staged one group shot where we were all pretending (some probably weren't) taking pictures of each other while the spouses took pictures of us. Bandera is a Texans dream, and some of the party went into town for a tour, while some of us hung around the big park area playing with the geese, ducks, goats, tossing horse shoes, taking pictures, eating, but mostly just Of course Tom Plant doesn't know his new nickname yet, but he will soon I'm sure...it's hard to keep a secret around this bunch. Tom was the auctioneer for the pies, cakes, puddings, and cobblers that were brought to raise money for David Wilder's family. Which is how we ended our day? Now I caught the expression on his face, so he can't hide from this one. Ricki you're in on this deal too, my friend, you pretty laughing face is easy to spot too. What happened, I was kinda running around trying to keep up with who was the winning bid on which dessert and keep track of how much money we were collecting. So it gets down to no more stuff to auction off, so Sneaky and Vanna start auctioning off the half eaten deserts, well just as I was coming up to the table Tom has about ¼ of a Cherry Cobbler left over that Don Eichler had made, which I had commented on was my very favorite. I mean it was good, so Tom says "OK we have some left over Cherry Cobbler left Liz, so let's start the bid off at $50", while looking right at me! $50 for a left over Cherry Cobbler???? What could I do, I had to bid on it, and of course no one overbid me, darn! J. Not really, I was happy to take it. In fact, Don, I had it for breakfast, and it was just as good maybe better. Here's a breakdown on the yummy desserts that got bought by our AR bloggers: Trey Thurmond got a Pecan I can't tell you how glad I am that I went. It was so much fun to meet all the people I've been talking to for over a year, and come to know and care about in person. Everyone is exactly like them seem on active rain, Active rain is a lot more to most of us than a place to express our thoughts, advertize our listings, and gain Internet exposure. It's also a place to make new friends, grow, learn, and have fun too. Hopefully our Texas group will have another get together, and I for one will plan on being there. Thanks again Ricki, and Ms. Judi for a truly wonderful day, I had a great time. Liz Carter I will be putting a post on, but wanted you to meet the wedding planners we have so far, which I named above, and I will also put a few more pictures on here. I took 161 pictures so if you would like me to e-mail them to you in a group please let me know and I'll be happy to share, there are some great ones, and we did have so much fun, just not enough room or time. Here are our wedding planners.
Jason Crouch is #1 to us :) :) :)
Pam Crouch with homemade apple pie Judi Morgan & Tom Plant
YALL COME BACK NOW, YOU HEAR!!
Historical Katy Texas, a look back in time, by Liz Carter local Realtor since 1976
Thomas and Mary Robinson had 200 acres of land on the Cane Island branch of Buffalo Bayou (what Katy was called then), and had arrived in 1872. Around
I've seen the change from just 32+ years of living and selling Real Estate in the Katy area, but its rich history goes far beyond
You can't talk about Katy without mentioning football, and the Katy Tigers of Katy High School. The school had its first football team in 1939. Starting in 1959 Katy won its first
Katy being historically an agricultural area with rice the major crop is also one of the US's l
For more information visit: www.wunderground.com/US/TX/Katy.html http://www.cincoranchladiesclub.com/ www.chron.com/neighborhoods/katy www.katytexas.com/katyschools.cfm www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/tx/3876 The Texas Real Estate groups' handsome mascot now has a name...+ Winners of Contest
I am pleased to introduce the Texas Real Estate groups' mascot, TEX to yall
It has been a fun, fast, learning, and growing time over at our group on Active Rain. Over the last month we have had a great contest to find the prettiest church in Texas, grown by 68 new members, and have been very prolific and creative group, by posting 742 impressive blogs about everything Texas. We also had a celebration to name our handsome longhorn mascot, complete with a Texas shaped cake. The name on his birth certificate is TEX, which is a very proper name for a longhorn. I would like to thank everyone at Texas Real Estate group for their contributions, especially the people who took the time to give us some breathtaking pictures and impressive history of churches in many areas of Texas. They are, Ricki Eichler, MAUREEN STACCATO , Loreena Yeo , BILL CHERRY, Carl Winters, Marchel Peterson , Liz Carter, Christina and Kevin Stevens, and Candy Henthorne.
I would especially like to thank Judi Morganfor all her support, and encouragement. Carl Winters for his tireless I would like to express my gratitude to our two judges who took loads of time and put a great deal of thought into selecting our winners of this month's contest, Judge Gena Riede The winners were from Judge Gena; 1st Place 
2nd Place "One" of th
3rd Place Tie
And Slaves
Honorable mention to, (Please note Marchel and I removed ourselves from the contest for points or for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, this was strictly from the judges' comments) Trinit And
The Winners were from Judge Lucky; 1st Place The Historic
2nd Place
3rd Place "
Best blog in contest
I will be following this up with a special post on the contest complete with all the critiques of the judges, so please look for it on Texas Real Estate Group. I will also include some of the outstanding pictures of the winners and highlights of their post. In the meantime, please click on the above links and ENJOY! Liz If you need to know anything about Texas, you now have a special place to come right here on Active Rain. My co-moderator, friend and partner, Marchel Peterson is busy working on our April contest searching for "The Best Place In Texas To View Wildflowers", which promises to be another visual delight. If you have a client thinking or moving to Texas this is a great resource for you and them, which is what one of our goals is. Please visit, and take a look at some of the winner of the March contest...I promise you will not be disappointed. Liz Carter, founder/moderator Texas Real Estate group on Active Rain Katy, Texas
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Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) Katy, TX More about me… Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas Office Phone: (281) 391-7653 Cell Phone: (713) 824-9044 Email Me ;) Links |
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doors, and many floors of each building. We see excitement and the glories of civilization. But no matter how much those who follow Tao may enjoy the city, they understand the need for retreat into nature. 
Warrenton to Round Top TX on Hwy 237 and beyond there are thousands of booths and antique dealers lining the highways in this area, selling everything from vintage wicker / clothes to advertising memorabilia. It will blow your mind, so it you've never made the trip, plan on doing it next year. One area is Marburger Farm Antique Show, it host over 300 dealers from around the world...and that's just ONE of the of the exhibitor areas! It has five football-field-size tents + a village of restored Texas buildings that house other exhibitors alongside the tents. For more information on this visit 
As you can see the fishing is good in Cinco Ranch. Above a young man with large sun fish, and young girl with a Perch. This big Catfish above was caught by a father and his son. I happened to be walking around the lake with my red poodle, Rhett Butler, (shown in picture), and also had my camera with me, which I usually take when we go for our walks around the lake, and we got to them just as they pulled up the Catfish. To the right is my next door neighbor with his 11+ lb. large Mouth Bass he caught. He is my resident expert that keeps me posted on the health and size of the fish in south lake, which seem to be doing quite nicely. I still haven't gotten him to tell me which lures he uses. It is a catch and release lake.
and it's located only 28 miles due West of Houston Texas which offers everything and anything the mind can imagine. Katy is know as "The City of Churches", since it has so many. The slogan for Katy is "A Town With A Heart". For more information on it's history please visit, 
Katy Texas, so we can luckily grow just about anything, featured here are flowering Bradford Pear Trees. Of course March in Katy Texas is one of our most glorious months, due to the azalea are in full bloom and they are everywhere you eyes can see and come in pinks, purples, whites + they are a beautiful evergreen shrub too, so when not in bloom they stay bright green year round...but it's when they bloom they are show-stoppers! Shorts in December anyone? More to Katy, Texas.
Liz Carter & Team Realty (I'm in the middle) stopped in front of these magnificent white azaleas in full bloom for a photo to put in the paper for our award by the Houston Business Journal. I have ranked every year for the last 13 years that the HBJ has been tracking production of the top agents in the greater Houston MLS, which includes Katy, Sugar Land, and the surrounding areas. There are 27,000 Realtors in the Multiple Listing Service and I have placed in the top 25 every year for number of homes sold and total dollar value. When we saw these beauties after the awards breakfast it seemed the perfect photo op! The Azaleas bloom in March-April every year. They have an azalea trail that you can take a guided tour of some of the older more exclusive homes and marvel at the beauty of these flowers that are common to our area. It's worth a trip here during that time of the year, or better still just more here and you can enjoy our sub-tropic type weather year round. The humidity is good for your complexion too.
Golf Courses are everywhere, and our mild weather allows you to play year round. Katy, and the greater Houston area are also very green. It's one of the first things I hear people comment on, "I never realized how green it is here. We also have so many parks, sports, and outdoor things to do.
Since the land is so flat the sunsets seem to last forever, and are some of the most beautiful I've seen anywhere in the world!
k features a railroad museum that features many original items like this old red cabosee 
State Historical marker showing the depot was in service from 1894-1957. Both the depot & steam engine train caboose have been restored to their original
together at the recent Active Rain gathering in Bandera Texas at the Pomarosa RV Park. The scenic spot in the heart of the Hill Country was the perfect setting. Tex had decided to wait and spring the big question to Miss Molly during the gathering so he would have all his blogger buddies present and he also knew that each AR person present would certainly have their cameras ready to record the momentous occasion, and that they did. Tex who is the mascot for the Texas Real Estate group was introduced to everyone by founder 
that is white gold, and has a perfect image of Miss Molly's longhorn face on it. Then the fun really began with all the excitement of making plans for the upcoming wedding, which is sure to be the event of the year on Active Rain. We are sure the wedding will be attended by thousands of active rain bloggers as well as the Big Shots of AR. All of their fellow longhorns and other special guest will also be receiving wedding invitations shortly. Of course we also have the engagement party, the wedding showers to plan, and shopping trips to buy the many things needed for such a large and illustrious wedding. Oh and planning where they are going on their honeymoon...so many things to do and get ready for and talk about.
participate in the planning along with the Wedding Planners. Ms. Ceil Winters, now forever know as BWP will be in charge of the group. There are lots of decisions to make so please bring all your great ideas to the Saturday night meetings. Some things that need to be found and decided on are all the "normal" things for a glorious Longhorn Wedding. Bridesmaids, Groomsman, wedding party, colors, dresses, tux's or jeans, flowers, cakes, rings, honeymoon spots, party favors, invitations, places for the showers and engagement party, food, catering, transportation. Guess that should be one of our fist tasks...make of a list of items needed? So help spread the word about the Active Rain Engagement and upcoming Wedding of Mr. Tex Rain and Miss Molly Blogger. As I said it is sure to be THE EVENT OF THE YEAR ON ACTIVE RAIN, so make sure you get the date marked in your calendars...this is one wedding no one should miss! Everyone on active rain is invited, so watch for your invitations
who flew in all the way from Temecula Valley California just for the occasion. None other than Tom Plant aka the Active Rain Ambassador. Rickiand Judi put a ton of effort into planning this event in Bandera Texas and invited everyone to come and finally meet in person all of our friends we have come to know and love on Active Rain. My hat is off to you ladies, you did a great job, and all we had to do was show up! I had been having a hard time deciding if I wanted to make the drive of almost 5 hours each way to go, and I am so glad I did. Tom Plant had flown all the way from CA to be there, so I felt bad, for about two seconds since I was having so much fun. Everything was perfect from the mouth watering BBQ, glorious clear bright blue Texas skies, warm weather, games, to the spot they picked to host the party. The Pomarosa Park is nestled in the heart of the breathtaking Texas Hill Country. Bandera is located about 40 miles from San Antonio, and Ricki has the Pomarosa RV Park listed for sale.
enjoying being with each other. I got to spend time with my friend, and partner of the Texas Real Estate group Marchel Peterson, and met her husband Gary. Carl Winters was there with his beautiful wife Ceil. Oh we even got the wedding plans stated for Tex and Miss Molly (Tex is the Texas Real Estate groups mascot, a handsome longhorn and Miss Molly is the pretty longhorn gal that Carl Winters found for him...I'll be writing a post about the wedding and yall are all invited to participate. Hey, don't laugh, not many people can claim they have been involved with a wedding for two longhorns :). Lots of nicknames came about, Ceil is now known as "BWP" (beautiful wedding planner), of course Ricki is now "Vanna," Tom is "Sneaky", and I'm sure that Deb Brooks has one for me after the kisses by "stinky breath" my poodle, Rhett Butler smothered her with kisses.
Pie, I (Liz Carter) got a Coconut Pie, while my husband Bill Gronvold walked away with Ms. Judi Morgan's famous Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce + Chocolate Chip Cookies. Carl and Ceil (BWP) Winters got some left over Cheese Cake and something else...there was a lot going on, so I didn't get them all. Gary and Michel Peterson got the Chocolate Fudge, Tom got a Mystery Cake, Allen Kirkpatrick and his lovely wife Michele got an Apple Pie ++, Pam Crouch got another Apple Pie, Ms. Judigot a Chocolate Fudge Pie, and Jem Woods walked away with some Brownies. Gail Tassey and Edward Lui,I know got something good too, and I'm sure there is a lot I'm forgetting, but you get the idea. Marchel Peterson and Liz Carter created a lovely, handmade, unique flower arrangement and presented to to Ricki Eichler and Ms. Judi Morgan for all their efforts in putting this great party together. Please you don't have to thank us...it was the least we could do! (we had not brought anything, and should have thought about it so I clumbed some Texas designed napkins together that Ceil Winters had brought, we didn't even bring the napkins :), and pictured is Marchel presenting them to Ricki & Judi, while I take another photo :)
genuine, warm, fun, caring, and just plain nice...well except for my new friend Tom was a little naughtyJ. We raised by my count, which I'm sure is low, $1,115 for Jason's good friend David Wilder's family. So it made it an even better "feel good day". After the auction Jason shared a few of his thought with us about David, who had lost his battle with cancer just a short while ago, as I'm sure most of you knew or read about here on the rain. Jason said he was grateful that at the end he and David got to tell each other how they really felt. David told Jason that he loved him, and Jason got to tell David that he was his hero. A good lesson for all of us, remember life is short and don't forget to tell your loved ones how you feel about them, and be thankful and grateful for every day, and every friend and family member in your life.
Tex & Miss Molly are getting married in June. They are the Texas Real Estate group's mascots...two longhorns, a true symbol of Texas. Gotta have fun while we're out here on the Internet, looking for buyers for our sellers. Active Rain is also a great source of getting referrals from all over the US, so its great meeting the agents you talk to on the computer and know they are going to give the clients you send them outstanding service with their Real Estate needs. Pictured below left to right is Carl Winters, Deb Brooks (also pictured on the right side holding Rhett Butler, Liz Carter's red poodle), Judi Morgan, Liz Carter, Ceil Winters, Marchel Pererson, and the hostess Ricki Eichler. The Wedding Planners :).
Edward Lui & daughter, Liz Carter Marchel Marchel Perterson & Liz Carter of Texas Real Estate group
Allen & Michele Kirkpatrick
When I first moved to Katy Texas in the late 70's there was not much outside what is called "Katy Proper", that is the area that lays within the city limits, the other part of Katy is actually large sections of Harris and Fort Bend unincorporated counties. Back then there was a much more distinct emphasis placed on Katy Proper vs. "the other people/areas" that lie outside the city limits. People were draw to Katy for its schools, the charm of a small town, and the developing West Houston's Energy Corridor making its way west on I-10 (aka Katy Freeway). The "Katy area" now comprises approximately 40,000 residents, with about 12,000 residing in Katy Proper. We all are part of the Katy Independent School District and nearly everyone in the area has a Katy postal address. KISD has around 55,000 students, 47 schools with six being high schools. I have experienced the enormous growth of the area since I opened one of the first Real Estate offices here in 1976. As a local Realtor it has been good for business but it came at a price. Back then there was hardly any traffic on Mason Rd. which was only two lanes and ended shortly south of I-10, no malls, no shopping centers, no restaurants, no grocery stores (outside Katy Proper or driving into Houston), no office buildings, no movie theaters, and hardly any noise outside the arrival of millions of migratory birds especially geese in the autumn. I have vivid memories of stunningly beautiful sunsets that seemed to last for hours. There was nothing to block the view, since the land is flat as a pancake and gives the illusion of endless horizons.
fifteen years later Peter Black and his wife Ophelia bought land and moved out from Addicks. These two families quietly farmed until 1895 when other fokes decided this was a good place to settle. The first settlers to Katy were Mr. William Pitt and his family who arrived on Christmas day in 1894. He came with his wife Lella and three children, moving here from the nearby town of Pattison, Texas. Many of our streets, schools, parks, etc. are named after those early settlers by the names of Peek, Stuart, Beckendorff, Cabiness, Thomas, Stockdick, Morton, Franz, and the Schilipf families to name a few of the very first. Mr. James Oliver Thomas had bought 320 acres of land and laid out the town site of Katy in 1895. In 1896 Katy was listed in Washington, D.C. as having a post office. It was then officially called Katy, Texas, with Mr. J.O. Thomas being the first postmaster. The post office was located in his general store. These families were drawn to the area for its farming land, and the fact that the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad was completed, so it was easy for people to get to the area, and also to get farm products to market. The land in Katy is rich and flat, making it prime farm land, and later prime rice fields. The prairie was thick with tall, flowing grasses and so tall a man on horseback could not be seen.
that. Loving history and wishing I had been around in that era, its fun to read about it and see the pictures from "The Good Old Days", however growth happens things change, and for the most part in Katy we have seen a lot of good changes. There is still a small town feeling and atmosphere, certainly much more than the hustle and bustle of Houston, but within an easy, short commute for the sports, art, fine dining, world class shopping and all the things that come with being one of the largest cities in the US. In later years Katy became mostly a rice growing community. In downtown Katy the enormous rich storage tanks and dryers still remain, they line the no longer active rail road tracks that run parallel to I-10. Each October the big event is the Katy Rice Harvest Festival. It last for two days, with streets being blocked off so you can stroll through downtown Katy with miles of antiques, booths filled with handmade crafts, three stages with live entertainments, pageants, carnival rides, food booths serving corn on the cob, candied pecans, BBQ, cotton candy, and of course rice. Katy's slogan is "You'll Love Katy", and it's also known as "The City of Churches". I recently did a story on one of the first churches in Katy, now called First Baptist Church built November 20th, 1898. One thing that has remained constant is we are still the site of one of the most incredible natural spectacles in North America, as thousands, then million, of migratory birds arrive on our Katy Prairie in autumn. This is just after the crops are in and the land lies fallow, the skies are a thrilling spectacle of waterfowl. Much has been done to conserve this area to keep our invaluable resource for the benefit of its wildlife of the winter home for some and the year round home of other birds. The sunsets are also still a marvelous event on the Katy Prairie.
state championship game, and the rest as they say is history. The Katy Tiger have won five state football titles, and the team has been particularly successful in recent years, winning championships again in 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2007 and we are consistently ranked in the top ten nationally. Under Coach Mike Johnston the Tigers beat powerhouse Southlake Carroll HS 16-15 in the 2003 5A Division 11 state final, giving Southlake its only loss in two years. The head coach now is Gary Joseph who was the former Katy defensive coordinator. You know when the Tigers are playing, because no one is anywhere in Katy, we are all at the game...GO TIGERS! We have an impressive new rodeo arena behind the high school. Academically Katy High was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 1997-98. It you want to see high school football at its finest come to one of our games, and get ready to hear the crowds roarJ.
argest gas fields since the early forties. Katy Mills Mall and many major hospitals have opened in the area lately. Katy is also home to the Igloo Corp. and Academy Sports and Outdoors. The Katy area has been among the fastest growing in the nation in terms of both residential and business growth. The major development in housing features many upscale quality master planned communities as well as the established neighborhood. Among the newer neighborhoods is Cinco Ranch with around 8,000 residents. Cinco Ranch was a working ranch when the land was originally acquired by the development company American General in the late 80's. The ranch belonged to five brothers, hence the name Cinco, which translates in Spanish to five. The oil bust and recession shortly thereafter caused development of Cinco Ranch not to begin until the mid-late 1990's, hard to believe but oil went down to $10 a barrel during that downswing in the economy. Cinco Ranch has grown rapidly since and has its very own private real sand beach club/swim lagoon, a world class water park, stocked lakes with 11+ lb. bass, miles of hike, bike & nature trails, and much more. Other first class home communities also offer major amenities, Grand Lakes, Green Trails, Kelliwood, Lakes of Buckingham, the elegant Woodcreek Reserve, Remington Trails, Seven Meadows, Firethorn and many more. Houston and Katy Texas have one of the lowest housing costs in the US, with the average home price of only $206,000. Combine this with our mild tropical temperatures, lush green land, sports, arts, top rated schools, safety, security, parks, golf courses galore, accessible health care, shopping, close-knit small town atmosphere, and a large church community. It's no wonder we say, "You'll Love Katy".
Call me, and I'll share more of my Katy Texas with you, and why I Love Katy and have lived and sold Real Estate here since 1976. You can reach me at 
pursuit in getting everyone out to vote for our mascot (of course there was a hidden agenda there, and maybe a little arm twisting). Carl, I think your name is great, and you managed to get an overwhelming number of members of our group to vote for Tex, while my name of Molly only got one vote, mine! Thanks for making it so much fun. Of course I have to mention our transplant Texan member 
, and Judge 
. As they said, it was not an easy task, and everyone is to be applauded for their impressive posts. 
e prettiest old churches in Texas
The Historical Sacred Heart Church in Galveston, Texas. A true beauty of our time. 
Built and Paid for Their Own Churches - A Revolutionary Idea - Realtor Bill Cherry
y Evangelical Lutheran Church - at the Tomball Museum Center
Old Church in Texas...First Baptist Church in Katy, Texas. Liz Carter, the Texas Real Estate groups contest
Everyone in our group has been very rigorously adhering to the simple rule of our group; Write great things about our great state of Texas. Come on over, you will find some of the best written blogs in the rain on our group.